The Past of Shadow the Hedgehog
by Sonic the Shapeshifter
Summary: Warning, semispoiler. A story about Shadow and his life on Space Colony Ark. Gives the story behind why the Ark was destroyed and how Maria died. K because Maria is shot.
1. Maria and Brutus

Chapter One: Maria and Brutus 

Maria ran after her cousin. "Come back! Why won't you ever play anything with me?"

"I don't wanna play hide-and-seek, Maria! That's a baby game." The boy said said, over his shoulder as he ran.

"But Brutus!"

"No, Maria!" Brutus exclaimed.

"No _what_, Brutus?" An old, gray-mustached man wearing a lab coat and glasses entered the room.

"Grandfather!" Maria called out joyfully.

"Hello Maria, hello Brutus." The man walked over to Maria and Brutus, ruffling his hand in the hair of the pair. "What are my grandchildren up to today?" The man asked, a playful smile on his face.

"Grandfather, I'm bored of playing hide-and-seek. It's a game for babies." Brutus said, rolling his eyes. Brutus had heterochromia, so he had one blue eye and one amber-yellow eye.

"No it's not!" Maria objected, her light blue eyes flashing.

"Come, come, children. Play along nicely. I've got some important news to tell you!" The old man said, smiling widely.

Immediately Maria and Brutus stopped arguing and gave him their full attention, bombarding their grandfather with questions: "What is it Grandfather?" "Tell us, tell us!"

The old man, otherwise known as Professor Gerald Robotnik, laughed. "I've got a new playmate for you."

Maria and Brutus gasped, excited.

"Who is he- or she?" Brutus asked.

"Where is he, or she, at?" Maria asked.

"Wait here and I'll come back with _him._" Professor Robotnik said, a twinkle in his eyes. He turned abruptly and walked out of the room.

For a moment, the boy and girl were silent. Then Maria exclaimed, "Wow! I can't wait to meet him!"

"Me either." Said Brutus. The boy suddenly walked over to the door and pressed a button, opening it.

"Where are you going, Brutus?" Maria asked, perplexed.

"I'm gonna go see him." Brutus replied, turning to Maria, the door open behind him.

"But grandfather said to stay here." Maria said innocently.

"Oh, you're just a sissy." Brutus said, walking through the door.

"I am not!" Maria called after him as the door closed, "You're going to get in trouble!"

The door shut.

Maria sighed and walked over to a long window in the room. She stared out at the stars in the thick darkness of Space, and down at the Earth below. The earth, with its sandy beaches and green forests, its lakes and rivers, its rain and snow, and the puffy white clouds swirling above it. Maria stared down at it longingly. She had heard stories of its beauty from the stories her grandfather had told her.

"_One day"_, grandfather said, _"one day we'll go down there, Maria, and you'll see it all for yourself. We'll be famous, we'll travel all over the world, and you can see its beauty."_

Maria stood at the window and closed her eyes, daydreaming of the day she would finally see Earth with her own eyes.


	2. Shadow the Hedgehog

Chapter Two: Shadow the Hedgehog 

Brutus ran through the hall, panting in excitement. A new human being who would be his friend! Someone he'd never met before! An exciting thought.

Brutus ran past a door, running down the hall. Then he stopped and ran back, taking a look at a sign on the door.

"LAB SECTOR A: PROJECT SHADOW" 

The sign on the door proclaimed. Brutus heard voices coming from behind the door. He opened it a crack and looked inside.

There was grandfather. He was talking to someone- Brutus couldn't see who from his position at the door.

"We will raise Shadow here, until we are sure that there are no malfunctions in him." Grandfather said.

Another, deep voice, replied, "That is a good idea. I do not want a repeat of the life-support system dependent BioLizard."

The voice sent chills running up Brutus's spine, for some reason. The boy shifted his position a little to see who was speaking. He saw a red and black ghost wearing an elaborate golden neclace, with gigantic horns sprouting from either sides of his head.

Brutus stiffened in fear. His eyes darted to another form on an upright table. A black hedgehog with red-striped quills, shoes, gloves, and a furry white chest was cuffed to the wall. It appeared to be unconscious.

The ghost looked over at the door, suddenly. Scared, Brutus took off down the hall. A moment later Professor Gerald's head peeked out of the door and he looked to both sides. Seeing no one, Professor Gerald shut the door, muttering to himself about faulty doors that didn't shut entirely.

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Brutus ran through the door of the room, scared out of his wits. Maria turned from the window to look at him.

"What's wrong, Brutus?" She asked.

He did not answer, instead taking off through another door as grandfather walked in.

"Where is Brutus going?" Grandfather asked.

"I don't know. He just took off." Maria said, shrugging.

"Oh, well." Grandfather said, sadly. Then he brightened up. "Maria, I would like you to meet Shadow."

A black hedgehog with red-striped quills walked out from behind Professor Gerald, looking shy.

"He's so cute!" Maria exclaimed, running over and hugging the hedgehog, who held his arms out a little in surprise.

"Shadow, this is Maria." Professor Gerald said to the hedgehog, over Maria's shoulder.

The hedgehog blinked, then wrapped his arms around Maria, hugging her.

Finally Maria pulled away from Shadow and smiled at him. "Hello!" She said cheerfully.

"Hello…" Shadow said in response, still in a state of confusion.

"Shadow, you stay with Maria. You two play together. I'll be working in another sector for a while, okay?" Professor Gerald said with a grin.

"Okay, grandfather!" Maria said happily,

"I'll see you at supper, Maria and Shadow!" Professor Gerald called, then walked out of the room.

Maria turned to Shadow. "Let's play a game!" Maria said to Shadow.

The hedgehog blinked. "What is a game?" He asked.

"Well, a game is a thing you do that's fun. Here, I'll show you! We'll play hide-and-seek…" Maria said, taking Shadow's hand and pulling the hedgehog along.


	3. Space Colony Ark Must Fall!

Chapter Three: Space Colony Ark Must Be Destroyed 

"What? What is this, "Project Shadow" that's been going on for so many years? What are they doing up there?" Demanded the President.

"Mr. President, Space Colony Ark-" Started the G.U.N. Commander, but he was cut off by the President.

"As the first testament to my term as President, I demand to know everything about Space Colony Ark!" The President demanded.

"Mr. President, as I was saying, Space Colony Ark is Top Secret. No one knows what they're doing up there." The Commander said.

"But they've been up there for twelve years and no one has heard a single word from them about anything! According to the data I've aqquired on this, "Project Shadow" is testing to develop a new weapon. Twelve years is long enough to wait for that. They're hiding something up there…maybe they're communicating with another country, plotting against us!" The President said.

The President had been under a lot of pressure lately to be as good as the old one, who had served two years keeping the country safe, happy, and secure. However, the poor man had just died, and everything had been left to the Vice President. Everyone was expecting a lot from him, and being the kind of man he was he wouldn't let them down. However, he hadn't slept for three days, as the leaders of separate countries were comparing him with the old president and pointing out everything he was supposedly doing wrong. As such, the new president had been searching frantically for something to prove that he could lead the country in the right direction.

"Mr. President, you're being unreasonable," The G.U.N. Commander said, "You just need some rest-"

"I don't need rest!" The president snapped, his brain interpreting the statement as yet another critisism against him, "As Commander-in-Chief I say that you send troops up there and destroy all evidence of "Project Shadow"! Make it so I looks like it never existed!"

"Mr. President!" The Commander exclaimed, shocked.

"No more, "Mr. President" just do as I tell you! That's an order, commander!" The president yelled.

Bowing his head in sadness at the doom about to ensue, the Commander said, "Yes, Mr. President."


	4. The End of Space Colony Ark

Chapter Five: The End of Space Colony Ark

Maria and Shadow stared down at the Earth.

"I can't believe that we'll get to go there one day." Shadow said, shaking his head.

Maria smiled. "It'll be so amazing! Like a fairy tale come to life!"

Shadow and Maria smiled at each other. Suddenly they heard yelling, screaming, and the sound of gunshots. Pounding footsteps echoed from behind the door of the room. Professor Gerald suddenly ran through the door.

"Shadow! Maria! RUN!" He yelled.

Two men in suits ran in. They had the initials G.U.N. on their sleeves and were carrying machine guns. They grabbed Professor Gerald, then looked up to see Maria and Shadow.

"Grandfather!" Maria cried out as the men grabbed the professor.

"Maria, we've got to run!" Shadow grabbed Maria's hand and ran with her down the hall, bullets cracking the window as the men fired at Shadow.

"COME BACK HERE!" One of the men yelled after them as more men ran through the door and after the pair.

"Leave my granddaughter alone! Why are you doing this? We've done nothing wrong!" Professor Gerald cried out.

"You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you!" The second man holding Gerald said, reading the professor his Miranda Rights.

"Run on, men! Don't let them get away!" One man yelled to his fellow soldiers.

"Shadow, I'm scared!" Maria yelped in fear.

Shadow gritted his teeth and ran as fast as he could, pulling the young girl behind him in an attempt to escape. They ran through yet another door and into a room, locking it behind them.

Shadow ran over to the opposite side of the room and into an escape pod. "Come on!" He yelled to Maria, who was standing by a panel with a lever. Shadow motioned for her to follow him into the capsule.

Suddenly the top of the capsule fell on top of Shadow, imprisoning him within it as banging came from the door.

"What are you doing? They'll kill you! Let me out!" Shadow yelled to the girl, banging on the glass capsule and trying to break through it.

"Shadow, I beg of you, please do it for me... For a better future. For all the people who live on that planet. Give them a chance to be happy. _Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That's the reason you were brought into this world._" Maria cried out, tears in her eyes.

The door banged open and some soldiers ran in. They saw Maria standing by the lever, and Shadow trapped in the capsule.

"Don't pull that lever! If you pull the lever, we will shoot you!" One of the G.U.N. agents yelled at Maria.

"I don't care!" Maria yelled back at the soldier, tears running down her face.

A second G.U.N. soldier aimed at Shadow in the capsule. He pulled the trigger, releasing a bullet aimed at Shadow. However, the glass was so thick it bounced off the capsule, hitting Maria instead. Maria fell against the panel of buttons in pain.

"NO!" Shadow yelled.

"Goodbye…Shadow…" The girl pulled the lever and collapsed, dead, to the floor.

The capsule was sent into Space, with Shadow inside of it. "MARIA!!!" Shadow screamed as he was shot through space towards the Earth's atmosphere.

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Professor Gerald Robotnik, Brutus, and some other scientists were escorted off of the scene of the Ark.

Professor Gerald was charged with treason and was sentenced to life in prison.

Brutus, being only a child, was not convicted of any crime. When he heard of Maria's death, he blamed Shadow for it, and swore to kill the hedgehog if he ever saw him again, despite the fact that a G.U.N. agent pulled the trigger.

Maria never got to see Earth's trees and forests, its mountains and valleys, or its lakes and oceans. May her soul rest in peace.

As for me, Shadow the Hedgehog, I now know my past, and can recall it in great detail.

Maria, I will never forget you.

Brutus, Commander of G.U.N., I hope you will realize one day that Maria's death is not my fault.

Professor Gerald, forgive your fellow humans.

I have.

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Maria Robotnik, aboard the ARK, was with Shadow before her death. She had him in a capsule, ready to save him by plunging him down to earth. When she was about to pull the lever to send him off, a G.U.N. Agent threatened her with a gun, saying if she sent off the capsule, he would shoot her, since the GUN army were rebelling against the Colony and no one wanted Shadow to live. Maria didn't seem to care, as her feelings were completely aimed for Shadow only. She then plunged him down and was shot and killed by the G.U.N. Agent.

_This is a retelling of Shadow's original story. It was written by me, Sonic the Shapeshifter. It is truthful and based upon the original storylines- otherwise Maria never would have died and everyone would have lived hapilly ever after- because I hate unhappy endings!_

_-Sonic the Shapeshifter_


End file.
